Marvel Mystery Oil Ingredients

[Marin]

Came across this in the process of looking for something else.* For anyone interested, here is a description of the properties of Marvel Mystery Oil--- including the ingredients---*that is about as official as it's going to get, seeing as how MMO is today owned by Turtle Wax.

Innovative Detailing & Car Care Products | Turtle Wax


Keep in mind that MMO was created in 1923, long before low sulphur diesel fuel was even a concept. Its purpose was to promote clean carburetors and fuel systems, which was a not-insignificant problem back then due to the inconsistent refining processes used. Conceived as an engine system cleaner (solvent) its purpose seems to have morphed more recently*into that of a fuel lubricity additive, which may explain its poor showing in the lubricity comparison quoted in a previous post if the solvent ingredients have remained unchanged. Promotional material about the product implies that it's "mysterious" formula is still the same.

So it seems a bit odd to me that one would want to use a chemical mixture that was designed to remove petroleum-based sludge and deposits as something to promote the the lubrication of components by petroleum-based fuel. You'd think it would be thinning out and removing the lubrication properties of the fuel, not adding to them. But I'm no petrochemist so perhaps my logic is off the mark here.



-- Edited by Marin on Friday 25th of June 2010 07:38:23 PM

 

[Nomad Willy]

I worked at a large job shop/machine shop and numerous machinists insisted on having MMO (as a cutting fluid) to work on field jobs. I think it's an old wives tale type thing. Like mechanics of old said almost forever to never but a battery on a concrete floor. Well if we wern't such sheep we'd avoid such quick sand. However the physical properties of some fluids can be changed by small additions of other things, sometimes fluid and sometimes not. Copper in grease. Soap in water. Put a cup of soap in a thousand gallons of water and you get "wet water". It won't bead up and run off a log in a forest fire * * .. the wet water gets the log much wetter * *..it sort of clings to the log (or whatever else) promoting absorption on porous surfaces. Perhaps different kinds of petroleum distillates will give new and advantageous properties to other petroleum distillates. I have no problem w MMO being able to hold varnish and sludge in suspension and add lubricity to oil. Or it's just snake oil and old wives tales. But as far as I know I don't need MMO to do anything in this world.

Eric

 

[FF]

I love the MM one gal container!

With a bit of trimming , I use a deck hook to install it over the dry exhaust .

The nifty red color complements the blue hull.

 

[Nomad Willy]

FF,Your hull is BLUE!? It looks black in your avitar. I wish there was a place where we could all post a bit of an album of pics of our boats. Many other boats have interesting features like FFs anchor cockpit. When we post on the main page the pics get lost in time. This program *is soooo much better than Yahoo groups but they have photo album pages. Perhaps we could make a thread for pics only * *..how many would post I wonder? I actually have few pics of my boat and wonder if others are in the same boat (PI). Walt has pics. But the pics would be in random order. All the pics of Walts boat would not be together if he posted them at different times. Just thinkin out loud.


Eric

 

[Keith]

An MSDS doesn't have to contain an entire formulary, only the main ingredients and their hazardous ratings. Even water has an MSDS - 0,0,0.

 

[RickB]

Keith wrote:

Even water has an MSDS - 0,0,0.

Nautical charts. too. At least through the 1990s anyway. They have changed the inks and paper so it may now only apply to the old charts.

 

[Sisuitl]

RickB wrote:Nautical charts. too.

Just when I think the MSDS world has nothing more to surpise me with.

Went through the compressed air MSDS with my divers a couple of weeks ago. Apparently there's an asphyxiation hazard posed by the nitrogen component.


*

 

[Tom.B]

I'm not sure I understand where you are going with this? Are you saying to use it or avoid it?

 

[Marin]

I'm not sure anyone's going anywhere with it. The people who believe MMO truly is a "miracle" will use it until they die. The people who think it's a waste of time will think that until they die.

Because it's a popular topic among boaters (and car people and I even came across a long discussion of it on a gun enthusiast group), I thought I'd stick the statement from Turtle Wax up since it calls out some or all of the ingredients.

More telling to me, anyway, is the product's original purpose, which was to act as a cleaner for fuel systems back in the 1920s, 30s, etc. because fuel refining practices were apparently all over the map back then and gummy deposits in carburetors was a not-uncommon problem. So that's what MMO was designed to prevent. No word about lubricity whcih was probably not an issue back then.

What I question is that a product that was designed to perform the roll of a solvent is now being touted as a product to promote lubricity. It would seem to me--- not knowing anything about petro-chemistry--- that if you want to lubricate something with oil, you don't use a solvent that makes oil*go away*to do it.* But maybe you can.....

Anyway, I don't use MMO in anything I have with an engine and I have yet to have a professional diesel shop or mechanic-- auto, marine, or aviation--- (outside of Bob Smith at American Diesel) ever tell me that MMO is good for anything in today's fuel world. From what I have read MMO was very effective in its original purpose and was used extensively during WWII to combat fuel system gumming and perfomance-reducing fuel problems in vehicles and aircraft as the quality of fuel in the combat theatres could be iffy.

Others believe MMO is still a viable product superior to anything else on the market and use it accordingly. Draw your own conclusions.


-- Edited by Marin on Tuesday 29th of June 2010 11:59:05 AM

 

[Keith]

I'm a believer.

 

[Tom.B]

Keith wrote:

I'm a believer.

I was toio... Until now. Now I'm not sure. I bought some a few weeks ago to put into my tanks, but now it sits idle as it awaits its fate.

 

[BaltimoreLurker]

I was a believer, too.* Especially on the recommendation of Bob Smith.* But after reading up on the MMO ingredients and the friction test reports ....* I went with the FPPF RV/Bus/SUV treatment instead.* Not only did the product do very well in the analysis, it was recommended by the mechanic who surveyed my engine.

But, I do think the name, "Marvel Mystery Oil" is very cool!

 

[FF]

The best suggestion I have come across so far is to filter some house fuel (high sulphor ) and add it to the fuel tank , 5% is said to help.

 

[Baker]

FPPF is good stuff and recommended by Yanmar.